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No more screwing around: Board shuts East Boston restaurant for a week for serving too late

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday ordered a Meridian Street Chinese restaurant to shut for seven days after police once again found it serving food after it was supposed to be closed for the night.

The board levied the unusually stiff punishment against Canton Eatery, 339 Meridian St. after a hearing Tuesday at which police responding to neighborhood complaints about disturbances near the place found the place open at 2:20 a.m. on June 17 with customers inside, cooks preparing food in the kitchen and workers taking orders over the phone. The restaurant has a license allowing it to stay open until 2 a.m.

Owner Guangtong Huang said he had two new cooks on that night and they had trouble keeping up with orders and that it would not happen again. Board Chairwoman Nicole Murati Ferrer, however, noted this was the third time in a year Canton Eatery has been before the board for staying open past its legal closing time.

Huang can choose which seven-day period he wants to shut the restaurant.

Comments

What, you mean there's people that are actually hungry after 2am and would patronize city restaurants if they were allowed to be open later? We can't have that! (/snark)

I'm really getting fed up that there are so few options in the city for late-night food. It's pretty sad that a city dweller who relies on the T for public transit is s**t out of luck, while someone with a car, fresh out of a bar, in some inner suburbs has more choices. Mostly fast or convenience food, but a choice nonetheless.

Not defending the restaurant for serving after its legal closing time, but it shows there is demand out there.

I usually do this the same day or the day after they make their decisions for the week (their decision meetings are on Thursdays). I heard once they get a little grumpy if you ask for the results of a hearing a few weeks in the past; sounded like they may not actually put these things into any sort of database.

I live near here (well within its delivery area) and for options after midnight, this is it. (except Fast food drive thru's and Domino's (till 2)). The food is meh but if you want something that isnt fast food or bad pizza, this is it. (sad, but true)

I think Chinese Dragon is open until 3AM and their food, in my experience, has always been pretty solid. They've been my go-to place over Teriyaki Yummy and a couple other Chelsea haunts for a couple years now.

So "the unusually harsh punishment" is they get to pick when to take off 7 days??? Seems light like a light punishment for a 3rd offense! Iv worked in a lot of restaurants and this isnt a hard rule to follow!

It's hard times all over for small businesses and restaurants in this bum economy. Staying open a little later isn't that big of a deal, or shouldn't, as long as they're running a tight ship otherwise.

The city that always sleeps needs some coffee and late night Cantonese.